The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1887-09-03

tons. They're more like the lion and
the lamb plan. The mark" is seized
bodily and dragged in. He is stripped
of his "duds' before he is sure that he
isn't in the hands of detectives being
searched for stolen property. He's got
a coat and vest on before he knows it,
and he's standing up before the mirror
and being twirled around until he is
dizzy. They gather a yard of loose
folds behind and pull them out, and
then show him how it fits in front.
"Yoost like de papa on de vail"
Then he is turned around with his
back to the mirror and told to behold
understanding he can't do for the
world, The runner and the proprietor
declare ecstatically that it is the most
remarkable fit ever sccn-"Vonderfool,
vondcrfool. Jakeyr'
Elegant" declares Jakey, the rum
ner.
"A goat yust like the mayor got here
last week, and dot Cleveland vcst-and
so sheep! so sheep! OF Eckenstin
knowdt sell dot vest for tree tollar to
my own bruddcr, he neffcr speak to me
again, so hellup me krashus. y
"How much for this?" the wearer
asks.
"Tweluf tollar! Sheep! Dirt sheep"
That's too much even for the victim.
With a woebegone expression the pro.
prietor declares that he can't let it go
for less than eleven dollars and a half,
and finally the victim demurring still
further, the proprietor cuts it down to
eleven dollars to save the trouble of
taking it off, though he knows he's
going to be bankrupt tomorrow if the
trade finds out he's cutting rates.
So the clothes are sold, the purchaser
paying two hundred per cent. more
than they are worth.
The runners do not always confine
themselves to roping in men, for they
occasionally catch woman with two
or three boys, and they drag her in and
| fit the children out before she is aware
of where she has been or what she has
been doing.
The runner. or rather stander. is, as
general thing, a slugger, because his
persistency arouses the wrath of many
pedestrians and he has got to be able to
protect himself. He has also to be a
fighter, because when he gets his pay
lie gets drunk, and when he gets drunk
his first duty is to go around to the
most hateful of the opposition and en-
deavor to slug the runner of the es-
Enlistment These friendly jousts
between the runners keep the police
busy and help to swell the justices
fees. The trial by battle thus to de-
termine the respective merits Of their
various houses is the chivalric part of
the business. Occasionally two rivals
will select the same .'mark," and
tackle him and pull and haul and jab-
Der at him until he feels that he is in
the hands of the Philistines surely, and
takes refuge in flight, or else quietly
sneaks away when his tormcntors come
to blows over him.
The business of the runner is to get
people into the store and sell them
goods whether they wish to buy or not,
and he is wonderfully successful in
selling to people who don't want to
buy. Some the runners wheedle
into purchasing and others
they bulldoze into it and
the means necessary to be adopted in
regard to different men being decided
upon from the circumstances. Their
prices are very elastic, and if man
once gets an article on he'll never get
it off if he has any thing like money on
his person. At the lowest figure there
is return for the house which is al
most without the domain of profit and
in the realm Of larceny. They place
the figures as high as they think the
mark" will stand, and then they come
down very slowly until he is led to be-
lieve that he is scouting off considerable.
In this way the goods are nearly al
ways sold very near the topmost figure.
In the good old times the steerers used
to draw percentage upon the money
squeezed out of those they run in, but
the business seems to have fallen of
since the days of the big clothing stores
where all kinds of goods at all kinds of
prices may be obtained without the
great physical torture of being pulled
about and talked almost blind. The
runners now get salary of from ten
to twenty-five dollars per week, and if
they do extra well in their peculiar
business they may receive gift from
the bosses.
| There are free lances in the business
who work on percentages. They cap
ture the stranger at the depot and OBJ
tain his confidence. They ascertain
his desire to purchase and they volun-
teer to take him to place where he
won't be robbed. He is then led
around to the places and is robbed at
all Of them, his friend getting his
"bite" out of every purchase he makes.
and finally borrowing from him before
letting him drift. Some baggage
wagon drivers used to be in the pay of
several snide clothing stores and drove
all their passengers bent on purchasing
TO their houses. This has been broken
mp Of late and there are few, il any,
complaints Of robbery in this way. AT
one time this business was accompan-
led by the change racket, the country
man getting several dollars the worst
Of it every time he pulled out his wal
let. This has not been heard of lately.
presumably because the opportunity
does not offer. but there is more or less
Of it when the city is illed with coun-
tryfolk. As it is during fair week and
the fall festivities. Isl. Louis Globs
Democrat
Robert Garrett is at The head Of 4